Usage profile based recommendations

Abstract

A server may receive a device profile from a computing device. The device profile may identify a usage of at least software applications associated with the computing device. The server may perform a comparison of the device profile with other device profiles associated with other computing devices, determine a similarity index of the device profile with individual ones of the other device profiles, and select a subset of the other device profiles based on the similarity index to create a set of similar device profiles. The server may determine configuration differences between the device profile of the computing device and individual device profiles of the similar device profiles, determine recommendations based on the configuration differences, and send the recommendations to the computing device. Implementing one or more of the recommendations may cause the one or more tasks to execute faster or use less of one or more computing resources.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 receiving, by one or more processors and from a computing device, a device profile comprising:
 a software profile identifying a usage of software applications associated with the computing device; and 
 a hardware profile identifying:
 one or more hardware components associated with the computing device, the one or more hardware components comprising:
 components included in the computing device; and 
 peripheral devices that have been connected to the computing device; 
 an amount of time that each the one or more hardware components is used within a particular time period; and 
 an amount of resource usage associated with each the one or more hardware components within the particular time period; 
 
 
 
 performing, by the one or more processors, a comparison of the device profile with other device profiles associated with other computing devices; 
 determining, by the one or more processors and based on the comparison, a similarity index of the device profile with the other device profiles; 
 selecting, by the one or more processors, a subset of the other device profiles based at least in part on the similarity index; 
 determining, by the one or more processors, one or more configuration differences between the device profile of the computing device and individual device profiles of the subset of the other device profiles; 
 determining, by the one or more processors, one or more configuration recommendations based on the one or more configuration differences; and 
 sending, by the one or more processors, the one or more configuration recommendations to the computing device, wherein the one or more configuration recommendations include an instruction to automatically update either a firmware or a driver associated with a peripheral device that is connected to the computing device. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the software profile comprises:
 one or more software applications that are installed on the computing device; 
 an amount of time that each software application of the one or more software applications is used within a particular time period; and 
 software configuration data associated with each software application of the one or more software applications. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining the similarity index of the device profile with the other device profiles comprises:
 determining a Jaccard index indicating a similarity of the device profile with the other device profiles. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein performing the comparison of the device profile with the other device profiles associated with other computing devices comprises:
 comparing the software profile of the computing device with a particular software profile of a particular other computing device of the other computing devices; and 
 comparing the hardware profile of the computing device with a particular hardware profile of the particular other computing device of the other computing devices. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more configuration differences comprise at least one of:
 a software configuration difference between a software configuration of:
 a software application that is installed on the computing device; and 
 at least one device of the subset of the other computing devices; or 
 
 a hardware configuration difference between a hardware configuration of:
 a hardware component associated with the computing device; and 
 at least one device of the subset of the other computing devices. 
 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more configuration recommendations comprise at least one of:
 one or more software configuration modifications to a software configuration of at least one software application that is installed on the computing device; 
 one or more hardware configuration modifications to a hardware configuration of at least one hardware component that is included in the computing device; or 
 one or more peripheral configuration modifications to a peripheral configuration at least one peripheral device that is associated with the computing device. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more configuration recommendations comprise at least one of:
 uninstalling, on the computing device, a currently installed software application; 
 installing, on the computing device, a particular software application; 
 uninstalling, from the computing device, a currently installed hardware component; 
 installing, in the computing device, a particular hardware component; or 
 connecting a recommended peripheral device to the computing device. 
 
     
     
       8. A server comprising:
 one or more processors; and 
 one or more non-transitory computer readable media storing instructions executable by the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
 receiving, from a computing device, a device profile comprising:
 a software profile identifying a usage of software applications associated with the computing device; and 
 a hardware profile that identifying:
 one or more hardware components associated with the computing device, the one or more hardware components comprising: 
  components included in the computing device; and 
  peripheral devices that have been connected to the computing device; 
 an amount of time that each the one or more hardware components is used within a particular time period; and 
 an amount of resource usage associated with each the one or more hardware components within the particular time period; 
 
 
 performing a comparison of the device profile with other device profiles associated with other computing devices; 
 determining, based on the comparison, a similarity index of the device profile with the other device profiles; 
 selecting a subset of the other device profiles based at least in part on the similarity index; 
 determining one or more configuration differences between the device profile of the computing device and individual device profiles of the subset of the other device profiles; 
 determining one or more configuration recommendations based on the one or more configuration differences; and 
 sending the one or more configuration recommendations to the computing device, wherein the one or more configuration recommendations instruct the computing device to automatically update either a firmware or a driver associated with a peripheral device that is connected to the computing device. 
 
 
     
     
       9. The server of  claim 8 , wherein the software profile comprises:
 one or more software applications that are installed on the computing device; 
 an amount of time that each software application of the one or more software applications is used within a particular time period; and 
 software configuration data associated with each software application of the one or more software applications. 
 
     
     
       10. The server of  claim 8 , wherein determining the similarity index of the device profile with the other device profiles comprises:
 determining a Jaccard index indicating a similarity of the device profile with the other device profiles. 
 
     
     
       11. The server of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more configuration differences comprise at least one of:
 a software configuration difference between a software configuration of:
 a software application that is installed on the computing device; and 
 at least one device of the subset of the other computing devices; or 
 
 a hardware configuration difference between a hardware configuration of:
 a hardware component associated with the computing device; and 
 at least one device of the subset of the other computing devices. 
 
 
     
     
       12. The server of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more configuration recommendations comprise at least one of:
 one or more software configuration modifications to a software configuration of at least one software application that is installed on the computing device; 
 one or more hardware configuration modifications to a hardware configuration of at least one hardware component that is included in the computing device; or 
 one or more peripheral configuration modifications to a peripheral configuration at least one peripheral device that is associated with the computing device. 
 
     
     
       13. The server of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more configuration recommendations comprise at least one of:
 uninstalling, on the computing device, a currently installed software application; 
 installing, on the computing device, a particular software application; 
 uninstalling, from the computing device, a currently installed hardware component; 
 installing, in the computing device, a particular hardware component; or 
 connecting a recommended peripheral device to the computing device. 
 
     
     
       14. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media to store instructions executable by one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
 receiving, from a computing device, a device profile comprising:
 a software profile identifying a usage of software applications associated with the computing device; and 
 a hardware profile that identifying:
 one or more hardware components associated with the computing device, the one or more hardware components comprising:
 components included in the computing device; and 
 peripheral devices that have been connected to the computing device; 
 
 an amount of time that each the one or more hardware components is used within a particular time period; and 
 an amount of resource usage associated with each the one or more hardware components within the particular time period; 
 
 
 performing a comparison of the device profile with other device profiles associated with other computing devices; 
 determining, based on the comparison, a similarity index of the device profile with the other device profiles; 
 selecting a subset of the other device profiles based at least in part on the similarity index; 
 determining one or more configuration differences between the device profile of the computing device and individual device profiles of the subset of the other device profiles; 
 determining one or more configuration recommendations based on the one or more configuration differences; and 
 sending the one or more configuration recommendations to the computing device, wherein the one or more configuration recommendations instruct the computing device to automatically update either a firmware or a driver associated with a peripheral device that is connected to the computing device. 
 
     
     
       15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of  claim 14 , wherein the software profile comprises:
 one or more software applications that are installed on the computing device; 
 an amount of time that each software application of the one or more software applications is used within a particular time period; and 
 software configuration data associated with each software application of the one or more software applications. 
 
     
     
       16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of  claim 14 , wherein determining the similarity index of the device profile with the other device profiles comprises:
 determining a Jaccard index indicating a similarity of the device profile with the other device profiles. 
 
     
     
       17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of  claim 14 , wherein performing the comparison of the device profile with the other device profiles associated with other computing devices comprises:
 comparing the software profile of the computing device with a particular software profile of a particular other computing device of the other computing devices; and 
 comparing the hardware profile of the computing device with a particular hardware profile of the particular other computing device of the other computing devices. 
 
     
     
       18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of  claim 14 , wherein the one or more configuration differences comprise at least one of:
 a software configuration difference between a software configuration of:
 a software application that is installed on the computing device; and 
 at least one device of the subset of the other computing devices; or 
 
 a hardware configuration difference between a hardware configuration of:
 a hardware component associated with the computing device; and 
 at least one device of the subset of the other computing devices. 
 
 
     
     
       19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of  claim 14 , wherein the one or more configuration recommendations comprise at least one of:
 one or more software configuration modifications to a software configuration of at least one software application that is installed on the computing device; 
 one or more hardware configuration modifications to a hardware configuration of at least one hardware component that is included in the computing device; or 
 one or more peripheral configuration modifications to a peripheral configuration at least one peripheral device that is associated with the computing device. 
 
     
     
       20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of  claim 14 , wherein the one or more configuration recommendations comprise at least one of:
 uninstalling, on the computing device, a currently installed software application; 
 installing, on the computing device, a particular software application; 
 uninstalling, from the computing device, a currently installed hardware component; 
 installing, in the computing device, a particular hardware component; or 
 connecting a recommended peripheral device to the computing device.